A look at the Thunder heading into the NBA’s stretch run
His All-Star Game news conference completed, Russell Westbrook set out to leave New Orleans with a farewell to the attending media.
“I’ll see you guys the second half of the season,” Westbrook said.
It’s a common label for the post-All-Star stretch run, but hardly accurate. Westbrook returns this week to a Thunder team that on Friday will play its 58th game, more than 70 percent of the NBA season.
So how has the Thunder fared through the All-Star break? And how might the final 25 games look? A question-andanswer look at where Oklahoma City stands:
Is the Thunder meeting expectations?
More or less, yes. In the preseason, Las Vegas sports book Westgate set the over/under on Oklahoma City’s season wins total at 45. Five Thirty Eight gave the Thunder a 50-win
preseason projection.
At 32-26, the Thunder is on a 46-win pace, a solid showing given its injury losses. Victor Oladipo missed nine games with a wrist injury, Enes Kanter has missed 10 with a broken right forearm bone and still is sidelined.
“I feel like we’re at a good place…,” Oladipo said. “(If we) get everybody healthy, it’s gonna be a huge break for us.”
How does Russell Westbrook’s tripledouble chase look?
Pretty good, but it’s not a given.
Westbrook entered the All-Star break averaging 31.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists in his quest to become the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average double digits in all three categories for a full season.
The points are a lock. With 1,771 of them, Westbrook would average 21.6 points per game even if he played the rest of the season without scoring. With 25 games remaining, Westbrook — who has 27 triple-doubles in 57 games — needs to average 8.9 rebounds and 9.7 assists to reach the season-long average.
Who are OKC’s potential X-factors?
Some of that could depend on personnel moves before Thursday’s trade deadline.
If the Thunder should ship out defensive specialist Andre Roberson, for example, Jerami Grant’s defensive versatility becomes critical.
But barring any massive changes, the Thunder’s potential game-changers are players who could lift the offense, including Kanter and Alex Abrines, key reserves on a second unit that badly needs scoring.
Before his injury, Kanter was having the best allaround season of his career. Whenever he returns — he’s due to be re-evaluated at the end of the week — Kanter would provide an instant lift as a scorer, offensive rebounder and passer out of the post.
Abrines, meanwhile, is hitting 45.3 percent of his 3-point shots since Dec. 21. The rest of the Thunder is hitting 29.7 percent over that span. As OKC looks for ways to space the floor, he could play a bigger role.
Where does the Thunder stand in the playoff race?
Oklahoma City is in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference Playoff chase. But with a 6 ½-game lead over No. 8 seed Denver, the Thunder is in strong position to hold on to at least that seed.
And a move up isn’t farfetched.
The Thunder, which is 3.5 games out of the No. 4 seed, has eight games remaining against teams with winning records, fewest in the NBA.
Five of those are at home. OKC’s remaining opponents have a collective winning percentage of .476, tied for secondworst in the league.
The Thunder has seven games remaining against teams ahead of it in the Western Conference standings — one each against the Warriors, Rockets and Grizzlies and two each against the Jazz and Spurs.
Five of those seven are at home.